BRUINS NOTEBOOK: Rookie Anders Bjork fights to get back to speed

Like most rookies, Anders Bjork has much to learn in his first NHL season. Figuring out how to recover from injury is an unexpected lesson.

Mike Loftus The Patriot Ledger

BOSTON – Anders Bjork knew he’d have a lot to learn in his first season of professional hockey. He didn’t know he’d have to learn more than many other rookies, though.

The Bruins’ 21-year-old winger, who skipped his senior year at Notre Dame to jump straight to the NHL this season, has been trying to catch back up to everyone since losing seven games to an undisclosed injury sustained on Oct.. 11 against Toronto, when he collided with 6-foot-3, 220-pound Maple Leafs forward Matt Martin.

“I didn’t miss many games in college for injury – definitely not anything like this,” said Bjork, who returned to play last Saturday at Philadelphia, three weeks after the date of the injury. “It was definitely a new experience, especially getting out of the in-season mode and then coming back into it.”

Bjork, the Bruins’ fifth-round selection (No. 146 overall) in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, got off to a fast start this season (3-2–5 in his first six games), contributed only two assists over the next seven games, and then picked up helpers in consecutive games before getting hurt. Thursday’s game against the Coyotes was his third game trying to get back to where he was.

“A little bit of it is (game) conditioning, because it’s hard to train your way back to that,” he said. “But mostly it’s catching up to the speed and timing, being ready to make plays quickly and under pressure. After getting away from that, it’s hard to jump right back in.”

Bjork didn’t score in his first two games back from injury, and his ice time was on the low side (11:55 on Saturday at Philadelphia; 12:14 on Monday at Nashville), but he was encouraged to be given the Top 6 role the B’s have projected for him since the start of the season: He played right wing on a line centered by veteran David Krejci, with Ryan Spooner on the left side.

“That was nice,” Bjork said. “David’s a world-class player.

“It’s been kind of tough, getting back into things after missing a lot, but I’m feeling better now ... feeling up to speed. Hopefully I can improve on the first couple games back.”

Moves and maneuvers: Rookie winger Jake DeBrusk was activated from Injured Reserve on Thursday after missing three games with an upper body injury. With the Bruins’ roster already at the NHL’s 23-man limit, they put Spooner on IR to make room for DeBrusk.

Spooner, who missed 14 games with a groin adductor tear sustained on Oct. 15 at Vegas, has been in and out of the lineup since returning on Nov. 22 at New Jersey. He played two games, missed one, then played three more, but hasn’t been on the ice since Monday’s loss at Nashville. Moved from center to wing, he had one goal and two assists in five games since returning, 1-3–4 totals in 10 games for the season.

DeBrusk replaced Spooner on Krejci’s line, forming a trio of players who have all returned relatively recently from injury (Krejci missed 11 games between Oct. 21 and Nov. 15 with an undisclosed injury, which he aggravated enough to force him to sit out last Wednesday’s game against Tampa Bay), with rookies on both wings.

“I like the youth on (Krejci’s) wings, guys that can skate,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It forces (Krejci) to skate, as well, and I think that’s worked out well for him on a lot of nights. And he can talk to (DeBrusk and Bjork), be a mentor.

“We’d like to see how it looks for a period of time with the two young guys. Whether we get that luxury or not, we’ll see.”

Around the boards: Spooner’s placement on IR, which rules him out of Saturday’s game against the Islanders, keeps the number of injured B’s at three. Defenseman Adam McQuaid remains on IR with a broken fibula sustained on Oct. 19 against Vancouver, but may be ready to play next week. Rookie winger Peter Cehlarik, recalled from AHL Providence when Bjork got hurt, missed his fifth straight game on Thursday with a left knee injury. … Thursday night’s healthy scratches were wingers Frank Vatrano and Matt Beleskey, and defenseman Paul Postma.

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